Want to simulate diabetric retinopathy.

[Rdavis101]

I'm a psychologist. I create vision simulations for people with damaged vision, including various eye diseases.

I'd like to create a simulation of diabetic retinopathy, and include it on my website, www.VisionSimulations.com.

Would anyone here work with me and tell me with diabetic retinopathy looks like? Then I can try to create a simulator.

Thanks

Roger Davis, PhD
www.VisionSimulations.com

[Belinda]

Check with a retinologist...they have plenty of pictures in their office. For each person it is different depending on the severity.

[Rdavis101]

You're saying that the retinologist has pictures of retinas, or that they have pictures of vision as seen with those retinas??

The only diabetic retinopathy vision simulation that I'm aware of on the internet is at ftp://ftp.nei.nih.gov/sims/dret_l.tif . Based on this, I would assume that when diabetric retinopathy occurs, it produces irregularly shaped areas of blackness in one's visual field, and furthermore, that these areas have relatively discrete (but not sharp) boundaries.

Building a simulator that would allow people to place areas of blackness inside a picture is easy to do.

But there are certain issues associated with its construction...such as...

1. The edges to the black areas...are they always as discrete as shown at the NEI link, or does the black area sometimes just slowly fade out, perhaps indicating more diffuse cellular damage?

2. Do the black areas just suddenly pop up overnight, or do they appear as translucent gray spots, and then grow in size and opacity, perhaps indicating the gradual death of retinal receptors associated with that area of vision?

3. Do the black areas appear in certain predictable pattern for each person, perhaps indicating that the fine capillaries which rupture have a certain consistent anatomical structure from individual to individual?

4. Are the spots always black, or are they sometimes red, like blood is red?

Thanks,

Roger

[TAutry]

Hello Roger,

Welcome to the forums. While we don't allow the promoting or advertising products, services or websites your site appears to be purely informational. I visited and was impressed with the amount of information you have assembled.

Some of the members here may be able to offer some guidance as you develop your retinopathy simulator.

[Funnygrl]

That website is awesome. Very informative.